A Raleigh family's dog is being hailed a hero after he alerted them to a fire at a neighbor's house, MyFOXMemphis reported.

The dog, named Tiger, woke up his owner Velma Boyd with loud barking. Boyd said she smelled smoke and ran to get her neighbor, Patricia Calvin, away from the fire.

It took firefighters three hours to put out the blaze. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire, but officials say they believe it was started by faulty wiring near the dryer.

In an ironic twist, Tiger had been sick and Boyd could no longer afford his medicial bills, and she was ready to give him up. She had called the Humane Society earlier Monday to pick up the dog to be put down. They never showed up.